| We
often talk about the inspirational value of
Christian biographies. Yet have you ever come
away from reading the account of some great
Christian's life feeling more demeaned than
uplifted? C. Peter Wagner
expresses such frustration in his classic book Your
Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow:
"At one point, earlier in my Christian life,
I used to read quite a few biographies. Then I
stopped almost completely and at first did not
know the reason why. What I did know is that,
while they were enjoyable reading, when I
finished I felt miserable. I always felt that 'if
he can do it so should I.' . . . The 'dear
believing reader' bit got to me."*
Let me hasten to say that I'm not against
reading Christian biographies. We can grow
greatly through such study. Yet in all honesty, I
think that many of us can identify with the
unsettledness Wagner expresses. When confronted
with the life of a renowned Christian--whether
through a biography or public example--we're
seized with a strange mixture of exhilaration and
self-contempt.
On the positive side, we're moved by the
person's example, and inspired to spend our life
in more noble pursuits. On the negative side, we
contrast our life with the great individual's in
unfair ways. We conclude that our own
achievements are meager by comparison. We berate
ourselves for not living at this person's level
of energy and faith, and for having far less
talent and achievement to show for our years on
earth.
Yet such comparisons are never meaningful. God
has given us each a unique mix of gifts, and a
distinctive energy level and motivational
pattern. I'm accountable to God to live according
with how he has designed my life and not
anyone else's.
Gift Projection
A major reason these unfair comparisons arise,
Wagner explains, is because of "gift
projection"--a practice that he finds far
too common in the body of Christ. Gift projection
occurs when someone with an unusual talent claims
that anyone else can develop the same skill, and
realize the same success, if they simply yield
themselves fully to Christ.
Nineteenth century George Muller is a classic
example of someone of who projected his gift.
Muller raised millions of dollars for building
orphanages in Great Britain. It was his policy
never to mention a financial need to anyone, but
only to share it with God in prayer. He wouldn't
accept any salary for his work. His journals
document a lifetime of cliff-hanging episodes,
where he committed major financial needs to God,
who constantly provided for them
miraculously--sometimes at the last possible
moment. As a typical example, someone would walk
in unexpectedly with the food needed for dinner
at an orphanage, just as everyone was sitting
down for the meal.
I believe that Muller had the spiritual gift
of faith, which Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians
12:8. This gift is a special capacity to
understand the mind of God, and to move ahead in
perfect confidence that God will work in certain
ways that others do not yet perceive. Yet like
all spiritual gifts, it isn't given to everyone,
but only to a small percentage of Christians.
It's to Muller's credit that he lived with
such integrity in light of his gift, and realized
its potential so fully. In this sense, he is a
great inspiration to us all. Yet Muller insisted
throughout his life that he didn't possess any
unusual gift of faith. He believed he was
demonstrating a lifestyle that all Christians
should follow. Anyone can have his experiences of
faith, he insisted. The implication is that
anyone who accepts a regular paycheck is living
less than a fully committed Christian life.
Gifts and Responsibilities
In our own day this sort of gift projection
occurs in many different ways. Someone with an
exceptional talent for winning others to Christ
claims that anyone who takes our Lord's command
to witness seriously can be just as successful.
Someone who entertains hoards of people in her
home insists that such hospitality is a calling
laid on all believers. A successful missionary
teaches that anyone who makes a reasonable effort
at cross-cultural ministry can be just as
effective. (Thank goodness we don't hear many
great singers or brain surgeons making such
claims!)
Gift projection usually occurs with the very
best intentions. Muller's claim not to have a
special gift of faith sprang from considerable
humility and compassion. He wanted others to be
all that Christ would enable them to be.
Yet, as Wagner points out in his book, such a
claim confuses responsibility with gifts.
God often expects us as Christians to exercise
responsibility at points where we don't have
special talent. He may wish us to respond to
someone's need, for instance, simply because
we're the most logical person to help them, even
though we are not particularly skilled to do so.
In this case God uses our availability more than
our ability. And by extending ourselves we grow
in important ways and deepen our dependence upon
Christ.
Bearing responsibility means that we each
should strive to live by faith as much as
possible, to share Christ with others whenever we
can, to show hospitality often, and to have an
ongoing concern for missionary work throughout
the world.
Yet we may or may not have a special gift
in any of these areas. Over time we should give
the burden of our efforts to those areas
where we are gifted, and not deride ourselves for
giving less attention to areas where we are not
specially skilled.
Wagner also notes that St. Paul could scarcely
have used a more graphic analogy for emphasizing
the importance of respecting our individual gifts
than the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul
compares our personal gifts to parts of the body,
stressing that while each part is radically
different from the rest, each is essential to all
the others in its function. "The eye cannot
say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head
cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On
the contrary, those parts of the body that seem
to be weaker are indispensable" (1 Cor
12:21-22 NIV).
The corollary is just as true, Wagner points
out--an eye cannot become a mouth, no matter how
hard it tries, nor can a hand become a foot. The
point is not that we have no responsibility for
meeting needs outside of our areas of giftedness,
but that we shouldn't expect our maximum
effectiveness for Christ to occur at these
points.
For each of us the critical matter is to come
to grips with the special mix of gifts God has
given us personally. Once we understand and
appreciate God's unique design of our own life,
we then can profit greatly from the examples of
other Christians who have lived impressive lives.
We will be inspired by the sincerity of their
commitment to Christ, but not feel compelled to
imitate what they did. We will best fulfill our
own commitment to him by respecting our
individuality, and by living our life
distinctively in light of whom Christ has made us
to be.
"Each man should examine his own conduct
for himself; then he can measure his achievement
by comparing himself with himself and not with
anyone else. For everyone has his own proper
burden to bear" (Gal 6:4-5, NEB).
|
